The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Carburetors are used to meter the amount of air and fuel that flows into an internal combustion engine during operation. Carburetors work using vacuum. A throttle plate opens and closes as an operator of the vehicle presses and releases an accelerator pedal. As air is drawn through the throttle plate of the carburetor and into cylinder heads, a metered amount of fuel is added to the air. To prevent damage to the carburetor and engine, most vehicles using carburetors typically employ an air filter. The air filter typically includes a fabric or paper filter medium that filters debris from the air entering the carburetor.
Some enthusiasts race carbureted vehicles at drag strips in timed quarter mile races or other racing events. Since the filter medium of the air filter restricts airflow into the carburetor, the air filters tend to reduce horsepower. Many of these enthusiasts operate the vehicles with unprotected (or open) carburetors to increase performance. However, these enthusiasts are taking the chance that debris may be sucked into the carburetor and/or engine during operation. If the debris is sufficiently large, damage to the carburetor and/or engine may occur.